Disney World vs Disneyland

Are you tired of hearing about Disney yet?  Never?  Cool, me either.

I went to Disneyland thinking I was going to be someone that was partial to both parks.  I had read that you can't really compare Disney World (WDW or DW) to Disneyland Resort (DL) for various reasons, but compare I did.

For the first half of this post, I'll just compare the parks.  The 2nd half I will compare the runs.

I have zero experience with any of the Disney parks that are not in the US, so if you're looking for info on Disney in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Shanghai, you're in the wrong place.

The Parks

At WDW, there are 4 main parks:

• Magic Kingdom (where the castle is)
• Epcot (where the pretty ball is)
• Hollywood Studios (where Star Wars is)
• Animal Kingdom (exactly what it sounds like)

At DL, there are 2 main parks:

• Disneyland
• California Adventure

At both parks there are also various Disney hotels/resorts to stay "on-property", significantly more at DW than DL, but this is logical because DW is HUGE compared to DL.

All the parks require at least 1 full day to enjoy them, but more is better if you can handle it.  There is no way to do everything in a single park in a single day at any park, it's just not possible.

Insider trick: How to tell the difference between DL and WDW castles?  Sleeping Beauty's castle (DL) has a moat around it, so it has a drawbridge. Cinderella's castle does NOT have a drawbridge.  Cinderella's castle is what you see on the Disney logo when you see a Disney movie.

WALT DISNEY WORLD

DW is a HUGE place and you can completely immerse yourself in all things Disney and not have to deal with the real world at all if you are staying on-premises.  This is good and bad.  Shit is expensive at Disney.  Don't deny it.  Yet there are perks to staying on-premises at DW.

• Transportation from the hotels to the parks and from park to park.  Buses, monorail, boats (no kidding).  You don't have to pay to park during the day.
• Disney magic 24/7.  
• Magic Bands (also available to annual pass holders)
• gives early access to Fast Passes for rides to schedule Fast Passes in advance instead of at the park the day of
• stores credit card info so you don't have to carry your wallet with you, just swipe your band at check out and it automatically charges to your account (awesome and dangerous)
• act as the key to your hotel room

If you are afraid you're going to run out of things to do on vacation, DW is the place for you.  There is no shortage of activities in the park, at your (Disney) hotel, or even in Orlando if you want to visit the "real world."  You can even visit other hotels and participate in their activities!

DW is the home of Cinderella's castle.  It's massive and magical and looks like the Disney logo you remember as a kid.  You can actually meet Princesses inside the castle if you make reservations for the character dinner that takes place there.  Word on the street is there's also a suite in the castle that you can pay approximately a mabillionty dollhairs to stay in.  Probably something I'll never personally validate.

Magic Kingdom (MK)

First and foremost, there are LOTS of children here.  This is THE park to go to at DW.  It is essentially the DL of DW.  Also, this park is DRY.  I repeat, there are a lot of children here and you CANNOT buy alcohol at this park.

MK is very much like DL in that it has different "lands" within the park and some of the same rides are at both parks (not all inclusive): Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Soarin' (even though this is actually in CA Adventure), it's a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, tea cups, etc.  Despite having the "same" rides, often the rides aren't exactly the same.  The lines can sometimes differ (you'll find more covered lines in FL due to the weather) and sometimes even the rides can differ.  There were actual Disney characters at the DL it's a small world.  The course of Pirates of the Caribbean at DL was different than MK.

Main Street is similar at both DL and MK.  Shops, tracks you might twist your ankle on, perfect view of the castle. 

Epcot

You CAN buy alcohol here!  THIS is the place to get that Dole Whip.  Make it a float with rum or vodka, you're welcome.  You can't get the liquor float if you get a Dole Whip at any other park.  Take advantage of this perk while you can.

Epcot is the host of the Food and Wine Festival in the fall and the Flower and Garden Festival in the spring.  Having been to the Flower Festival, I was impressed.  Let's just say, I'll never be a gardener at DW.  I've only heard good things about the Food and Wine Festival and I know regulars who attend.  This festival also coincides with a runDisney event, Dine and Dash series.

The most awesome ride at Epcot: Spaceship Earth (inside that big white ball) or Soarin' (the CA version)
The coolest thing about Epcot: You can literally "walk around the world".

Epcot is laid out in a circle around a lake/fountain/contained water thing and around the circle are different countries (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada).  Each country features Cast Members from those actual countries and you can see shows that would be taking place in those countries, which is pretty cool.

Teh Sister and I did our Princess meal in Norway and it was worth it to help avoid some of the children, as much as you can at DW.  Epcot is considered the most "adult" of the parks, and there are very few actual rides at Epcot, so keep that in mind.

Hollywood Studios (HS)

Home of the live-action movie attractions and some awesome character spotting opportunities.

There's a HUGEEEE AT-AT at the Star Tours ride, DL doesn't have that.  The Fantastmic boat/light/water show is pretty awesome.

Also, there's a Villians shop here.

Animal Kingdom (AK)

 If you get there early enough, you can "go on a safari" and actually see the animals awake and moving since it's their breakfast time.  This park is 98% about the animals.  Another park with a lot of children.  There are a few rides here, Everest and the tree and the railway, but mostly you're there to smell look at the animals and dodge small children with juice mustaches dressed up as Princesses.

Other parks/places at DW:

• ESPN Wide World of Sports, for those sports fanatics.  Sometimes they even have actual sporting events going on.
• Water parks (I'd rather ride the wet rides than soak myself in stranger's urine)
• There's also a NASCAR track thing right beside ESPN, but I don't think they are Disney affiliated, nonetheless, reminds me of my childhood.
• Disney hotels/resorts

Etc notes:
Having stayed at a DW hotel, it was super magical.  We stayed at the All Star Movies Resort.  I'd do it again.

DISNEYLAND RESORT

DL is wayyyy smaller than DW.  Butttttt, it is the original Disney park.  Walt was there, a lot.  If that's not enough magic for you, then you're a magic snob.  With only 2 parks, there is still no shortage of activities.  Additionally, you're pretty much in LA/Hollywood, so if you're willing to tolerate the "real world" there are even more options for activities.

Of the 2 parks, I think we enjoyed California Adventure a little more than Disneyland.  The park is more adult oriented, so that probably helped.  Additionally, they serve liquor, where DL is a dry park, which made for a very disappointing Dole Whip float, imo.

There aren't nearly as many character dining options at DL as there are at WDW.  I believe part of this is due to the size differences between WDW and DL.  With 4 parks and more than a handful of resort hotels, there are plenty of spaces to host character dining experiences.

The biggest difference that really was a buzz kill for me that DL doesn't have that WDW has?  MAGIC BANDS.  Magic bands are dangerous little devices of convenience.  Even worse?  We were given a PAPER tickets.  After 3 days, those poor tickets were sad from being in sweaty pockets for way too many hours.  At WDW, even if you don't qualify for a Magic Band, you get a plastic ticket (like a credit card).  I get it, "original Disney park", but some times, things change for the better.  The Photo Pass cards were plastic, so I was dumbfounded why the tickets weren't plastic.

Disneyland

• Many similar rides as you'd find at WDW.
• You'll find more children here than at CA Adventure
• There is a castle.  It's small, but it's there.  You can walk under the castle, but don't have WDW expectations.
• Home of the elusive Club 33 (and if it's not elusive to you, can we be friends?)
• Has Star Wars rides

I did notice that wait times for rides at DL were shorter than at DW. We were at DL during a high traffic weekend, so I was surprised to see this.  That said, often time the wait times went down because the ride would break and people would leave the line, but it wasn't really a shorter wait.  I don't recall rides breaking very frequently at DW.

The magic at DL isn't as magical as it is as WDW.  Maybe it's that California attitude seeping into the magic, but I had some questionable interactions with more Cast Members at DL than WDW, like the Cast Member who essentially made fun of us and made us wait to ride because we stopped to take a selfie (there was no one behind us).  Uhhh, rude.

As I said about MK, DL is very similar to MK.  Some similar rides, but potentially better since they have more Disney to them.  For instance, it's a small world has Disney characters throughout the ride that you can find, this isn't true at WDW.

California Adventure (CAA)

CAA would be like if MK and Epcot had a hippy love child that lived in California.  CAA is geared more towards adults, being the home of Tower of Terror, California Screamin', the ferris wheel, the super awesome Cars/Test Track ride, plus alcohol, with the landscape setting of California.  Cars Land and Bug's Life Land and some areas of the Boardwalk are kiddy rides, but they aren't too bad for adults who avoid high-thrill rides.

Most importantly, this park serves alcohol and has a Ghirardelli shop right across from a place that makes sour dough bread from a mother loaf from the early 1900's.

I really appreciated all the California tributes.  From Grizzly Springs to San Francisco's piers to the desert area represented by Cars Land to the Hollywood area and Buena Vista Street.  Maybe Bugs Land was a tribute to the National Parks?

Additionally, CAA has Soarin' Around the World, which is an awesome ride.  Granted, I loved Soarin' (over California) better because the orange and tree smells, but I'll take what I can get.  Neuschawnstein Castle is featured in Soarin' Around the World, and that holds a special place in my heart, so I'm biased for different reasons towards both.

Characters at CAA aren't as hidden as they are at DL and WDW, which is nice for this character hunter.

Final Thoughts?

Disney World is still my fave.  I wanted to be partial and like both parks for what they offered, but the convenience of the Magic Band really swayed me at the end of the day, especially since the parks have similar offerings.  Also, it helps that I'm only a 6 hour drive from Disney World, whereas I'm a 6 hour plane ride away from Disneyland.

runDisney

Having run a runDisney event on both the east and west coast, I feel validated to talk about the differences.  Truthfully, it was a tie for me on which was better.  I really can't decide.  That said, I'm not committed to doing more runDisney events. 

Disney World runs:

 

Pros:

• Running only on Disney property.  You get to see behind the scenes.  This is only bad when you are still running and you start to smell bacon cooking.
• Buses to bring you to the race start (from Disney hotels)
• Characters before and after the race to get photos with 
• Running through Magic Kingdom and Epcot
• Entertainment along the course
• Fireworks for each corral start

Cons

• Running only on Disney property.  This means those boring highways for long stretches.
• Getting up at last call to get ready, catch a bus, and be at the start area way early.
• Only running through 2 of 4 parks.
• Price
• Inconsistent weather (will it be cold?  will it be warm?  No one knows.)
• Bottleneck areas
• Cheerleaders/onlookers only allowed in certain, limited, areas.

Disneyland runs:

 

Pros:

• Getting up "early" for the run, but not nearly as early as DW
• Being able to walk to the start area/corrals from off-property hotels
• Running through Disneyland and California Adventure AND Anaheim and the Angel Stadium.
• Reliable weather (that CA perfection)
• More cheerleaders along the course

Cons:

• Reflectors in the middle of the street!!!!  So many people were taken down by those little bastards.
• No character photos before/after the race
• Running through the parks didn't last very long
• Entertainment along the course (classic cars did nothing to distract me from the never-ending miles I'd committed to running for a piece of overpriced medal.  More drumlines/music please!) 
• No fireworks at the start or with any corrals. 
• Bottleneck areas
• Price

For just myself, for JUST the races, I paid $770!
Princess Weekend:
5k: $65
Glass Slipper Challenge (10k+1/2 marathon): $305
Processing fees: $25

Dumbo Weekend:
Dumbo Double Dare Challenge (10k+1/2 marathon): $355
Processing fees: $20

That doesn't include travel (gas/plane tickets/rental car) or lodging (Disney resort/hotel) or food/snacks or the park tickets we had for Disneyland.

To say I potentially spent up to $1500 on runDisney events in 2016 is completely valid.  Ouch.


Suffice to say, the #disneylife is an expensive life.
It would take a seriously strong motivator to get me to do more runDisney events.  I would like to volunteer for an event, but I'm just not sure that the price is worth what you end up with (medals, pride, awesome photos, an excuse to dress up as Disney characters, and sore pieces). 

Top 6 of 2016

Nadine posted yesterday about her top 5 moments of 2016 and I had to jump on the bandwagon since 2016 has been such an outstanding year for me.  Although, I made it the top 6 because 2016.  Don't judge me and the OCD problem I don't have.  If this was 2017, I'd be doing 7 things.

PS.  These are in date order, not order of awesomeness since I can't do a single line of 6 photos and fit on the screen.

ONE 

I got glasses for my birthday because #old.

But not these glasses.

TWO

I ran survived 22.4 miles at Disney World for the Princess 1/2 Marathon weekend with my running bestie, Teh MD-AR.

SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!!!

THREE

We closed on the house we built together!

 

Squinty eyes and gums = Super happy Megan

FOUR

Teh German and I went to Germany where I met his family and we did some exploring, to include visiting Schloss Neuschwanstein, aka the castle that Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle on and the Disney castle from the logo.

PS.  I half-hopedthought that maybe Teh German would propose while we were there.

FIVE

Celebrated 1 year together with Teh German.

Awwwwww

SIX

Ran 19.3 miles at Disneyland with Teh MD-AR and Teh German.

LOVE.

Because the year is not over yet, I would probably need to revise this list by the end of the year.  We have several activities planned for the next few months.  This includes, the start of hockey seasons, Goo Goo Dolls, Teh MD-AR's visits, holidays, Disney World, and visits from German relatives. 

Confessions {9/28}

-I figured out the Goodreads DNF shelf issue.  If you move them to the Read shelf first, they count.  I wasn't moving them to the Read shelf on purpose, but when I'd mark them as finished and review, they would automatically go there.  Essentially, DNF books have to go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.  #lessonlearned #technicaldifficulties

-I've listened to Jolene by Pentatonix and Dolly Parton an embarrassing amount of time.  1.  When we were in Germany, Jolene was playing, but I'm not sure if it was the original or a new version.  2.  The harmony of A cappella groups always bring me so much joy.. and chill bumps.  3.  It's catchy, I don't care who you are.  #jolene #musicheadache #repeatrepeatrepeat #signingatthetopofmylung

-I stumbled upon Teh Bear's blog since it came up in my FB On This Day and while he didn't blog frequently, he did discuss our breakup in his last posts (from 2014).  They made me feel like an asshole, which I am.  He also pointed out that I always preached about never getting back with an ex.  Andddd then I got back with Mr. Scrooge and well.. I should have listened to myself all along.  I didn't see it then, but I see it now and I'm like, extra asshole points for hypocrite-Megan. 

So if he's still tracking my relationship statuses (which I'm not sure of, but I know that the "friends" that informed him about Mr. Scrooge are no longer in my life), he'll be pleased to know that things with Mr. Scrooge were a steaming pile of shit that I tried to make myself believe wasn't a steaming pile of shit.  Teh Bear did start the process of online dating and I know that he's with someone now and he looks happy.  Hooray for online dating!

So, if you ever read this, I'm sorry I broke your heart and I'm sorry I'm a hypocrite but I'm glad that we're both happy now and I always loved you while we were together, so I never lied to your face, but I knew that as years went on, you'd love me more and I'd love you less and I'd be a bitter hag filled with resentment and other unbecoming traits.  Ending things between us was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I know it was the best thing to do so neither of us ended up miserable.  PS.  I hope you're doing well and that your ex-wife is less of a psycho now. PPS.  It's weird you use my nickname for your instagram acct.  PPPS. Is it weird if I "like" your comments on posts of mutual friends?

-I find it strange that I think it's delicious and acceptable to eat the skin of a regular potato, but skin of a sweet potato?  NOPE.  Sweet potato skin is ALWAYS shunned.

-When talking to Teh German about classes he took in school, he took German class and it took a moment for it to click that his German class = my English class.  This isn't really revolutionary, but it was a revelation for me on a shower thoughts epitome level.  #hehadtoexplainittome

-Hershey's chocolate syrup is better than any other.  Trust me.  #Ivedonetheresearch

-Rewatching How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is like visiting old friends.  All the LOLs.  Although the most interesting thing that has happened since we started rewatching HIMYM was when we made our house a club.  We turned on some early 2000s club jams (Sandstorm, Sexual, Heaven, etc) and I set the Hue lights to fast pulse colors...  This is the ONLY time that Teh German has accepted flashing Hue lights.  #gameon #nowIknowthetricks

-Europeans (at least from my experience) generally have twin sized beds pushed together to create a a literal double bed, which would equal an American full size.  That said, when I was in Germany, each person in the bed gets their own twin size blanket rather than one full+ sized blanket.  I wished that America practiced this when it came to making Disney reservations so that way we could have pulled apart one of the beds and had 3 beds in the room (1 double and 2 twin) and solved my sleeping arrangement problems with ease.  Cruise ships use this bed method, which I think is pretty smart.  I'm super needy.  #itsmenotyou

-If you are a blogger who I've told several times is a no-reply blogger and you refuse to correct the problem, after I've sent directions on how to fix the issue, so I can reply to your comments via email, I feel less and less motivated to respond to your comments.  I want to be a good blogger, but I also am lazy AF.  These things are often in conflict and you can guess which one wins out more often.  #sorrynotsorry

-After much harassment from various sources, I made an appointment with a podiatrist on Monday.  I was not surprised, but still disappointed that he was only able to tell me the exact same thing the chiro had told me, "it's not broken, but ice it and stay off of it as much as possible."  The only difference was that he prescribed a gel that I get to apply to my toe 4x a day which is essentially concentrated advil for a single area.  He did say that our next steps could be a shot of cortisone or an MRI.  I explained that I hadn't met my deductible yet, so both of those sounded expensive.  I appreciated that he didn't make a big deal of my cheapness.  He actually seemed to completely understand.

He was also appreciative of my jokes.  When I asked about working out, he said to only do things that didn't hurt.  Well, too much walking hurts, so looks like I'll continue being a lazy ass for the foreseeable future.  He wasn't a little bit surprised when I explained that I'm a runner and I ran on my gimp toe for the Disneyland runs.  He also chuckled when I told him that the toe was messing up other stuff, but that's why I went to the chiro regularly.

Mostly, I'm just glad that my chiro was correct from the beginning.  Not that I doubted him, but I like having a reason not to doubt either.  #provemeright

-Baby frosted mini wheats are adorable yet underwhelming.  I'll just stick with the regular mini wheats since I know that 2 on a spoon is perfect.  #sizematters

-Mini wheats with fruit are hands down the best type of mini wheats.  These were actually big in the 90s but then they disappeared for a while, much to my dismay.  But in the last decade, they've made a comeback with the "touch of fruit" mini wheats.

-I didn't have plans to watch the debate, but after we watched the Hurricanes beat the Capitals (that's NHL speak folks, calm yo tits about that football shit), Teh German turned on the debate.  Of course, I was a running commentary and I explained to Teh German that I was the reason I couldn't watch the debate in public.

He's a prick and she's evasive, but Clinton handed Trump his ass.  It made me think of the Kennedy/Nixon debate where Nixon was a hot mess and Kennedy kept his cool.  Trump was Nixon and Clinton was Kennedy.  Also, if there was a "winner" to the debate, Clinton won before it was even over when she said, "I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did. You know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president."

Also, it doesn't matter who I'm voting for (although you could probably guess if you tried really hard), the fact that Clinton is a female running for the office of president means she has earned my respect (note: I did not say my VOTE).  She is judged on so many more things than just her policies and opinions on politics.. and her ability to disseminate classified information through her personal email.

If you were watching carefully, her remarks were calm and focused, the tone of voice she used very precise.  She also had a smile on her face for the most part.  Is it practiced?? OF COURSE.  But if she didn't smile, the trolls would have been out in full force, "What is Hillary's problem?"  "Was Hillary on her period?"  "She was just taking out her PMS on Trump."  Clinton is judged for being a woman nominee.  The fact that she got sick during the campaign was judged by Trump (saying she didn't have enough stamina to be President).

Science says that during times of high stress, you are more likely to get sick because your body is overwhelmed.  So really it has nothing to do with her stamina, but more about science.  I'd be on my death's bed if I was having to deal with Orange Man Trump regularly.
 
As a woman, it is appalling to me how many of my "issues" have to do with my gender.  I tell a coworker my stomach is upset in the morning and immediately the say, "Maybe you're pregnant!" with a smirk.  Or, I'm not and I took my daily pills on an empty stomach and didn't eat soon enough, but thanks assholes.   Or I'll pass someone who comments, "Smile, it doesn't cost anything."  Would you say that to a man passing you?  No.  Nor would you have said anything at all, STFU.  Or my favorite, "Why are you so offended that someone called out to you?  You should feel flattered!"  No, no I shouldn't.  I can feel however I want, but thanks for your opinion I didn't ask for.

These issues are something I'm sure Clinton has been dealing with for a lifetime, but I can't even fathom the issues that will come up if she becomes the first female President.

All that said, are the trolls really suggesting that Trump was on cocaine?  You've got to be kidding me with this shit.  #yesallwomen #makinghistory #debate #masterdebators #ournextpresident

Weekend Review {9/26}

FRIDAY

After work on Friday, I headed to Walmart to do some returns and pick up a few items that had been on the store list.  After, I headed home and hung out with the pups, waiting on Teh German to get home.  We had an excursion planned at Wild Blue Ropes, a rope challenge course.  I took a nap while I waited on Teh German to get home just in case.

We didn't hit as much traffic as we had anticipated which was nice.  We checked in, got harnessed up, got a refresher course on how the hooks worked, and we headed into the course.  There has been a pressure system hanging over Charleston since Hurricane Hermine rolled through, so we've been experiencing random rain showers throughout the day.  Friday was no exception.  Fortunately, the course stays open unless it's thundering/lightening.  So we were able to continue on despite the rain.   We were on the course for almost 2 hours and while it's fun, we were tired and our hands were sore and we were dripping wet.

Because the adult helmet was too big, I got a kid's helmet and pretty much transformed into a Minion.

If you make this picture big you'll be able to see the rain seriously coming down.
We were dripping.

Our end time was 7:40, but by 7:20 we were done.  We made our way across one last span and then repelled down.  We dropped off our gear and went to the car to fetch our spare clothes.  I had only brought spare clothes because I figured I'd be cold.  I did not anticipate being soaked through.  This meant having to deal with wet socks and shoes and free ballin' through dinner.  The worst part was my wet bra, which was leaving super sexy water marks on my shirt.

For months I've wanted to go to D'Allesandro's Pizza (D'Als (their name, not mine)) for pizza, but it's downtown and usually I think about it on a Friday/Saturday night and neither of us is really motivated to make a trip downtown for pizza at a place with limited seating.  I called as we were leaving Wild Blue Ropes to ask about the wait and when someone answered, they immediately said, "Please hold."  I was on hold for over a minute and told Teh German we could just risk it.

Miraculously, there were plenty of seats open when we got there.  When we checked in on Yelp, we noticed a deal, which is awesome.  We were starving so we ordered an appetizer and we both got a small pizza.

Cheesy garlic bread. NOMMMMM

Top: Teh German's supreme
Bottom: My El Bianco, no sauce, mozz and ricotta cheese with spinach, mushrooms, and pepperoni.

After we had sated our hunger, I inquired if they had cannolis and they didn't.  That makes only 1 thing about D'Als that I was disappointed about.  But, when I asked Teh German if we could make a pit stop for cannolis on the way home, he agreed.  He also admitted to never having a cannoli before and my heart hurt for him.

We stopped at DeSano Pizza for cannoli since I knew they had epic cannoli.  We ordered a white chocolate cannoli (Teh German) and amaretto cannoli (me).  When they were delivered, we got coconut and amaretto cannolis.  I explained that they weren't ours since we ordered something else (also I didn't realize what the amaretto looked like).  The guy who made them made up a white chocolate one and delivered it to the table.  So with 3 cannolis, we dove in.  Teh German thought they were too sweet (because he's a terrorist doesn't like sweets), but he tried all of them.  The amaretto was one of my better life choices.

The entire evening was filled with food wins so I was pumped to be able to have cannoli leftover to take home.

Back: Amaretto
Front: Coconut
Not pictured: White chocolate

NOMMMMMMMMMM.

After cannolis, we headed home to release the beasts, take a tramadol for my gimp toe, and head to bed.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, Teh German had told Twin Dad he'd help him pick up furniture.  I had zero commitments, so I stayed in bed and read and napped.  I wasn't sure when Teh German would be home.  Eventually, I pulled myself from the bed.  I was productive and scooped poop since 1- it needed to be done, 2- Teh German wanted to do yard work when he got home, and 3- It was a perfect opportunity to listen to Dragonfly in Amber (my current audiobook).

Right before Teh German came home, Twin Mom asked me if I wanted to go to the Southern Women's Show since it was in CHS.  I had a ticket that a coworker had given me, but it was at work (which I learned later we don't have weekend access to our work space), and my motivation to get ready was seriously lacking.  I messaged Twin Mom and explained that my ticket was at work and I still hadn't left the house and she informed me the show wasn't all that great.

When Teh German suggested we ride to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and then go to Michael's and check out shadowboxes for the flag project, I said ok. 

Love my Philalicious.

We rode through Charleston's finest on the way to BWW.  Teh German almost got merged into by a lady in a van who didn't even bother to check mirrors before she switched lanes.  Lunch was quicker than I anticipated since usually BWW is pretty slow.  Since it was Saturday, we were surrounded by college football fans.

After lunch, we headed to Michael's.  Before we left BWW, I had checked for Michael's coupons and noticed they were running 70% off custom framing, which is what we were doing.  SCORE.  There were a few people in front of us when we got there, so we patiently waited.  When it was our turn, the lady working at the desk was able to quickly help figure out our order.  While we were in the middle of discussing the flag project, I remembered my 8 Disney medals sitting at home that needed a display box.  I told her to remind me about medals when we finished discussing the flag box.  She was awesome and reminded me after we paid for the flag frame.

As I explained what I had and what I was looking for, she said that my best bet would be to bring the medals in so that way it would be easier to see/work with what would actually be going in the frame.  For 70% off, I was willing to make the extra trip out.  Teh German and I headed home.  Teh German changed and got started on yard work while I chatted with Teh Dad for a bit and then showered, gathered my medals/bibs, and headed out to Michael's again.

When I arrived (at a different location) around 5:30, there was only 1 guy working and I was 2nd in line.  Again, I patiently waited.  When it was my turn, I explained what I wanted and the guy helped me select a frame.  While he worked with the ladies that were in front of me, I worked on arranging the medals in a way that I liked and made sense, this was accomplished much easier after the guy brought me a piece of suede backing that would actually be like the backing of the box.

 The guy had explained to me that there was someone else that normally worked on the shadow boxes and he'd prefer to have her ok on the project before finalized it.  I told him I just wanted to make sure I could get the 70% off.  A manager was called back and she actually called someone to ensure that we could do what we were thinking of.  In the end, they gave me an estimate for my frame and I agreed to come back the next day to see if the shadowbox master had any suggestions to make.  After I finished with the shadowbox layout, I selected some clearance frames (for those still unedited, unprinted Germany photos) and headed to the check out. 

When I got home a little after 7:30, there were dogs in the house, but no humans.  Teh German hadn't been in the garage when I came in, so I checked the backyard and noticed that he was sitting out by the firepit with an empty chair beside him.  After setting all my stuff down, I poured myself some adult juice and headed out to fill the empty chair.

Despite being eaten by the most unappealing of SC's bug life, it was enjoyable to sit outside by the fire.  Teh German and I chatted about life and I brought up the awkward (to me) topic of eventually getting married.  I think he knew this conversation was bound to happen soon because I've been making off-hand comments about it more and more recently.

He admitted that he had thought about getting married, but that he was traditional and he'd ask parents and tell everyone before he did it.  While that was a reassurance, it was NOT reassuring when I asked him what his timeline was and he said he didn't have one.  In fact, my exact response was, "Well, that absolutely petrifies me."  I explained that I wasn't sure why I was so impatient, but then proceeded to talk through the reasons about why I was so impatient (I don't want to be a mom who is mistaken for a grandmother, I will not have kids till after I'm married, I don't want to get married and immediately start popping out babies).  He didn't really have much to say to these things, but to say them brought me a lot of relief since these things had been on my mind a lot over the last 2 months.

I also explained that some of the impatience was possibly pressure from other people in the form of them asking me/us when we were getting married and my lack of control over the entire thing since I was waiting on him to ask me.  I admitted that several people had asked after we got back from Germany and again after Disneyland, if we had gotten engaged.  I added that I worried he wouldn't feel motivated to ask since we pretty much live as if we're married already.  My final comment was regarding culture differences, how Americans are quicker to get married than Germans are and how that feeds into my lack of control.

Teh German accepted all these things and did eventually say, "within a year, probably," after I asked a rough estimation.  Part of me died a little at waiting so long, but part of me thought, "Well, at least I have a number."  I immediately started telling myself he was over-estimating to throw me off the trail of any plans he could possibly have already made.  I know, it's an idiot move, but dammit.  I'm practically a spinster over here, even by 2016 standards, and society won't shut the fuck up and I'd like some pretty bling, ok?!  Gosh.

After I was tired of getting eaten by the bugs (there are approximately 15 different bites all over various parts of my body (I was wearing short sleeves and jeans and shoes)) and the fire had pretty much died, we agreed to go in and go to bed.

While Teh German was showering, I did this puzzle that made me think of Beauty and the Beast.  This cabinet actually looks nothing like the cabinet from B&tB, but it looks like a French-esque style in my limited furniture knowledge.

Once we were in bed, I had one final thing to say about the getting married situation.  I told him part of me was impatient because I was certain about him.  That of all the guys I've dated, I felt like if I had married them, I would have been settling in some regard, but with him, there was no settling.  I don't need to tell myself something I thought was important isn't actually important to be with Teh German.  It's one of the biggest things that makes me feel so confident in our relationship.

Having said my piece, I slept peacefully for the first time in weeks.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning, we got up slowly.  We were set to go back to Michael's to get my estimate approved between noon and noon:30.  We had agreed after that to go see Pete's Dragon, finally.

I started the laundry, then went downstairs to make breakfast.  I made steak and eggs and learned that I'm really just not good at cooking in cast iron pan.  I want to be good at it, but I'm not.  Breakfast was bearable, barely, mostly due to the chewiness of the meat.  I also set up the crockpot to have dinner ready in the evening.

We got ready and headed to Michael's.  The shadowbox lady had no suggestions to make to my design, so I paid and we headed to the theater.  Pete's Dragon was not the same as the animated Pete's Dragon from the 70s.  The story was different, but still really good.  We were the only ones in the theater, so we were able to cry freely.  It made me giggle when Teh German pulled out a folded stack of kleenex he'd brought from home so we I could wipe away our my tears. 

After the movie, we headed home and enjoyed a marathon session of HIMYM.  We paused for bathroom breaks, dinner, and letting the dogs out.  I will admit that as we were leaving the theater, I suggested that we should have snuck into Secret Life of Pets or another movie.

We headed to bed after completing our chores (dishes and laundry).

__________________________________

Other than the obviousness of our serious chat around the fireside, the weekend was excellent.  We knew that next weekend we'd be traveling, so relaxing was a top priority.

On Friday, I was productive and finally made an appointment with a podiatrist to get my toe checked out.  It's been 1 month since the Disneyland run and 2 months since I initially hurt it, so it is time.  This comes from Teh MD-AR suggesting I see a podiatrist rather than just saying I needed to go to the doctor.  For some reason, I'd forgotten that foot-specific doctors existed.  I knew that I didn't want to go to a general physician since it would be a waste of money.

I also was "productive" and picked 3 fictional characters to describe myself after seeing Allison's post.  I might have taken a little liberty with the last selection since she isn't really fictional.  If I had to replace her, I'd probably put in Michael from Office Space because I struggled to find other fictional characters to describe myself.  Or maybe Belle?  IDK.  Describing myself is hard.

Happy last week of September, Gentle Readers!


Linking up with:
Biana @ BLovedBoston

Disneyland Run-cation - Part 4

Disneyland = DL
Walt Disney World = WDW

For the 2nd day in a row, we woke up at 0400 and threw on our costumes, brushed out teeth, and headed out the door for our 15 minute walk to the start area. Again, there was nothing interesting going on, but we did take a photo of us in our costume before the race.

Teh MD-AR: Flora
Teh Megan: Merryweather
Teh German: Fauna
PS. Teh German picked the green fairy since I'm the shortest and youngest, I was to be Merryweather.

Corral F this time

I struggled on Sunday morning. I was tired, my legs felt like lead weights, but it was only 13 miles and I got this. We started off our 1/2 by running through California Adventure.

Lightning McQueen, Mater, and a stranger

We HAD to make a pit stop for Meeko AND Pocahontas.
My fandom screams #cantstopwontstop

Hello Gorgeous.

When we noticed Maleficent in line behind us for Honest John and Gideon, I was like, PLEASE be in our picture and proceeded to pull her out of line and into our photo, skipping the 5+ people between us. #notsorry #worthit I looked for a Sleeping Beauty, but unlike Princess Weekend when you couldn't throw a rock and not hit an Aurora, there was none to be found, not even running by. #Princessfail

Run-by of the Three Caballeros

ALWAYS on the look out for the photographers!

Drive-by of Flick and his GF I assume, having never seen Bugs Life.

This photo is one of my favorites, not because Star Wars, because IDGAF, but because I was seriously heckling the Storm Troopers about being a bad shot. We got a bit of character interaction with them, which was awesome. I think my best line was when they pointed the gun at me-ish and I said, "You're still gonna miss." One of them did the neck slicing movement with their hand at their neck. It was pretty funny and we had the line laughing.

We noticed the carousel going and then I noticed that Aurora and Prince Phillip were riding it! The guy operating the ride told us to run past a little more and he stopped the ride so we could get a photo with them! That's the magic I needed.

My OMG they stopped the ride for us to take a photo excited face.

My favorite fairy :)

I knew Teh Sister would be jealous of this character meeting since she loves Tarzan.
This is Turk and Jane and I made a comment about "emotional constipation" which is my favorite line by Turk from the entire movie.

Robin Hood and company.

Back story: We wanted another photo in front of Walt/Mickey/the castle in our fairy costumes, but as we approached the statue, we were told that we had to stay on the track. With some hesitation, we came back down the path and took a pretty crappy selfie since we weren't really close enough to get a good photo.

so tiny.
much sads.

As we were about to start running again, Josh, a photo pass photographer who works on the marketing team at WDW, told us to follow him and he took us up to the statue and took some photos!

MUUUUCHHHH better!

Last character stop in DL: Mike Wazowski!!!

After running through California Adventure and Disneyland, everything became miserable. I hit my 9/10 mile running wall before we even hit mile 5. This was NOT good. I was tired and sluggish and the worst thing was that my toe was starting to hurt. There were no more magical distractions since now we'd spend the rest of the course running through Anaheim. There was entertainment along the course, bands, dancers, cheerleaders, on-lookers, and hundreds of classic cars, but I was so miserable by that point that they didn't do much to distract me.

We had taken to walk-running around mile 6 because I just couldn't stand it anymore. Between my toe and Teh MD-AR's ankle, we were a hot mess.

Sunrise.

Before mile 8, I was done. The only thing keeping me going was the fact that if I didn't cross the finish line I wouldn't get my Dumbo Dare or Coast-to-Coast medals. I kept thinking about what kinds of irreparable damage I was doing to my toe and my foot and my hips and my back and my entire body by keeping going.

Teh German and Teh MD-AR tried to encourage me to keep going, pain is physical, running is mental, blah blah blah.. But when every step feels like someone is stabbing you up both legs and trying to pop out your knee caps, there are very few things that are enough to overcome that pain. I finally broke down and cried. Not in a happy, I'm running a Disney race way, but in an ugly, everything hurts and I'm not sure I'm actually going to be able to finish this race, just leave me behind to die, type way. This is the first time I've EVER cried during a race/run from pain. I've cried happy/relieved tears, but from pain? Never.

I even took a post cry selfie to show that it wasn't all magic and ears and rainbows.

I sucked it up and carried on. There were medals to get. It was seriously a fake it till you make it max effort. I didn't want any photos of us to have my ugly crying face, so with each camera, I grimaced and smiled and no one except my fairies knew that I was absolutely miserable.

Josh, the photographer from the castle rode by on his bike and noticed us again! He got more shots of us passing the luau dancers.

walking break.

luau dancers

Teh German "surfing"

classic cars/taking an opportunity to stop moving to fend off tears.

The lack of tears didn't last long. I knew that in the beginning of mile 9, we ran through the Angel Stadium, but it felt so far away and my stupid wings weren't helping me go fast or even fly and my toe hurt and I couldn't even guilt myself with the people wearing prosthetic legs being stronger than me.

We had a water stop around this time and there was a table with Biofreeze after the water. I stopped and got a squirt and put it on both knees hoping for any kind of relief I could find. It helped chill my knees some.. and also my face.

Did you know that when you have Biofreeze on your hands still and wipe the tears from your face, you are technically applying Biofreeze to your face? Yeah, that definitely distracted me for a solid 30 seconds. Then the giggles through the tears as I explained it to Teh MD-AR and Teh German was distraction for another minute. So that was an added benefit.

The next photo is actually from another runner who said that she got some good photos of us as we were approaching the Stadium. She said if she found us later, she'd text them. Despite the pain, I sprinted up to her and asked for her number and told her I'd text her right away and she could just send them later. She gave me her number and in her photos, I found this one:

I was crying and laughing, but mostly crying.
Teh MD-AR was trying to console me.

We did finally make it to the Stadium, which was a welcome distraction from everything going on with my body.

There were so many cheerleaders in the stands!
We actually ran on the left and gave so many cool kids high fives!

LOLZ to that face I'm making.

This is prob my favorite photo of just me from the entire 1/2.
You can't tell I was dying on the inside.

Fairies in the Outfield!

We exited the stadium and then the remain miles of tedium began. Josh found us again and we took a photo at mile marker 10 and the entire time I was thinking to myself, "How in the ever living fuck am I going to do 3 more miles on this toe?"

For something so small and "insignificant" on the body, a toe can really fuck you up. Since my toe hurt, my gait was off, which caused my knees to hurt and my hips to be out of whack and my back to hurt. Eventually, my shoulders were also hurting because of tension and the way I was holding myself as I hobble-limped along.

We HAD to get a selfie with Josh since we'd seen him so many times!

15MPH is just too fast.

I was crying moments before this photo.
We had a photo at the mile 13 marker from Princess Weekend, so we needed one from Dumbo too.

I cried right up until we turned the bend and saw the finish line and then I put on my best "fake it till you make it" act, trying to ignore the shooting pain in my feet/knees with every step.

That face is sheer relief that it was over.
I had earned those medals more than I had earned any medal before.

Fairies at the finish line!
(Photo by Teh MD-AR)

Dumbo Double Dare Challenge medal

Coast-to-Coast 2016 Challenge medal

Running besties!

We did it!!!!

dawwwwwwww /swoon

1/2 Marathon medals (sadly, they were too far away for an awesome photo)

Another first for me was stopping at the medical tent post-race. I asked for ice on both knees and for my toe to be set. The ice girl had to fetch someone who unwrapped my toe and said that it wasn't within her realm to set toes in the field, but to her it not only looked broken but twisted. About this time, Teh German told me he needed to go sit down. The lady rewrapped my toes and with much dismay, I put my shoe back on.

The thing about running a lot is that once you take your shoes off, you don't want to put them back on. I almost considered walking back to our hotel with only one shoe on, but then I didn't want to make my knees hurt any worse, so I just put my shoe back on.

After I was wrapped and iced, I found Teh MD-AR getting her ankle ice-wrapped and found a pale-slightly greenish Teh German sitting nearby. He said he was hungry, so we booked it to the food tables before he passed out on us. Truthfully, he doesn't handle pain/bleeding well, so I think when the medic said my toe was pretty jacked up, Teh German was listening...

We stopped through the challenge medals area to pick up our Dumbo Dare and C2C medals and stopped at the photographers area to get our post-race medals photos taken.

Everything hurts and I'm dying and these medals are clanking against each other noisily.

Fairy trio with bling!

Photographer said, Make a tired face.
Success.

I am sharing this one because it looks like I'm about to whisper something in his ear.
Actually, I kissed him on the cheek, but the photographer missed it. Booo.

Icy knees.

Instead of stopping to sit and eat, we walked and ate and headed back to the hotel so we could shower and pack and potentially nap.

I absolutely loved the Birds of Paradise along the side walk as we walked to/from DL.

Post race stretching/blood draining.

Teh German showered and napped, I showered and packed, then napped for a few minutes, and Teh MD-AR packed and showered and packed and didn't get a nap. :( We had to check out by noon and then we were headed into Disneyland to get photos with our medals, acquire a Dole Whip, and potentially ride some rides, but our first stop was lunch.

We actually drove the car to a parking garage and paid to park so we didn't have to go as far on sore pieces when we left the park to head to the airport. We got to ride the tram to the park, which Teh German hadn't experienced yet, so that was cool.

Once we got into the park, I had already decided on a mexican place for lunch that was near the Tiki Bar where we'd get the Dole Whip. With lunch consumed and hangar at bay, we got in line for our Dole Whip.

FYI: Dole Whip is pineapple ice cream.

We decided on the Dole Whip float and we all 3 shared it since all the portions at Disney are way more than one person should actually consume.

Once the Dole Whip was consumed, we jumped in line for photos with Walt/Mickey/the castle. When we got to the photographer, I explained that we were going to need their photographic skills for a bit, which I'm sure was excellent for those behind us to hear. #notsorry #onceinalifetime

Running Besties with ALL DAT BLINNNNGGG!!!

lolzzz my face.

L to R: (all 2016 medals)
Coast-to-Coast, Dumbo Double Dare Challenge, Disneyland 1/2 Marathon, Disneyland 10k, Glass Slipper Challenge, Princess 1/2 Marathon, Princess 10k, Princess 5k

Bling from only DL runs w/ Dumbo:
Dumbo Double Dare, Disneyland 1/2 Marathon, Disneyland 10k
(+Coast-to-Coast for Teh MD-AR and I)

Our weekend bling with Dumbo

Coast-to-Coast 2016 with Dumbo!

What it looks like when we're trying to set up a photo and the camera is in selfie mode and it takes a picture on it's own accord. Thanks for all those chins, S6. You da best. Asshole.

Coast-to-Coast 2016 w/ Minnie and the castle

One last photo of the castle.

After photos, we wanted to ride Peter Pan's Flight or Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, but with no fast passes, no single rider lane, and a long wait, that wasn't an option. Instead, we headed into Star Wars Land (or Tomorrowland, if you're picky about that sort of thing) and was bombarded by nerds with strollers and children and it was just packed in that area of the park and I was limited on toleration since my pieces were still hurting (despite the tramadol I had taken before we left the hotel).

We ended up riding Star Tours and (Hyper)space Mountain. Teh MD-AR waited on us while we were riding the rides. After a debacle at Space Mountain where the wait time was elusive and tricky and WRONG, we were almost at the entrance to the ride at the time we should have been leaving the parking garage to head to the airport. Teh MD-AR actually went to fetch the car while Teh German and I waited the last few minutes and rode the ride. After the ride, we headed to the Guest dropoff area to wait on Teh MD-AR to pick us up.

After a short debacle and Teh German sending her our location (good jorb, Apple), she finally made it to us and I drove us to the airport. First we dropped off Teh MD-AR since her flight left sooner than ours, exchanging hugs in case we didn't get to meet up in the airport. Then we returned the rental and took the shuttle (different driver, yay!) back to the airport. We checked in and accidentally didn't have to pay for our luggage. Or maybe the attendant was being nice, either way, we didn't pay and I'm not complaining! We even came in under weight AGAIN at 48 pounds, despite all the stuff we had purchased (most of which Teh German was carrying as his carry on).

Once we got checked in, I texted Teh MD-AR who said she was at one of the food courts, so we met her there and had dinner together. When it was time for her flight, we hugged goodbye again and she left Teh German and I on our own. Eventually, we headed to our gate to wait to board.

Our flights to Phoenix (PHX) and Philly were both uneventful. After a short layover in PHX, we headed to Philly and landed at 0615 on Monday morning. Teh German and I had slept on the plane, but not very well. When we found our gate for our flight to Charleston (CHS), I noticed a bench with no arm rests (essentially hitting the airport jackpot) and I laid down and napped for a few hours. I asked Teh German if he wanted to lay down and he said no. His loss. My toe and knees were still hurting, so my sleeps were difficult because I couldn't get comfortable.

Around 0845, Teh German woke me up and explained that he was hungry and needed my debit card. I was confused and then he explained that the water tight box I had put his wallet and sunglasses in was pressure sealed shut. He showed me the box and he was right. Oops. I was also hungry, so I just got up and we went and found breakfast.

Despite being super greasy and CRAZY hot, it was more delicious than I expected airport food ordered on a tablet to be.
PS. Pork roll, just like Ms. Boomkin taught me.

Our flight to CHS was delayed for 2 hours and we finally ended up making it home around 1:30. Teh German helped me unpack the luggage and get things put away while I started the laundry.  We had agreed to go to a cookout at a neighbor's house that evening, solving my "what do I make for dinner" dilemma, so around 5, we headed that way with the pups in tow.

Of course, no problems making themselves at home.
Also, my dogs look gangly.

Dinner was delicious, but we were exhausted and we headed home around 7:30/8 so we could prepare ourselves for the week ahead.  Spoiler alert: There was no amount of preparation that could prepare me for the week.  I spent most of the week exhausted and one evening I even fell asleep on the couch a few minutes after telling Teh German, "I am sooo tired."

_______________________________

Overall though, it was a perfect run-cation if you don't include the part about my toe and everything hurting and almost dying.  I/we got to hang out with Teh MD-AR, which is one of my favorite things, and we got medals and got to go to Disneyland, which none of us had ever been to! 

Disney Run-cation Recaps:

Part 1: Arrival, expo, and Disneyland

Part 2: California Adventure

Part 3: 10k and touring around LA

Part 4: 1/2 marathon, Disneyland, and departure